LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
verbthird conjugation, irregular short imperative

maledīcō

maledīcō (present infinitive maledīcere, perfect active maledīxī, supine maledictum)
Classical[ma.ɫɛˈdiː.koː]Ecclesiastical[ma.leˈdiː.ko]
maledīcēns pres. act. ptcp.

Meaning

  1. to slander, speak ill of
  2. to curse

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

Choosing the right word Döderlein's Latin Synonyms

Maledictum · Probrum · Convicium

Maledictum is any utterance of what is injurious to another, whether to bring him ill-luck by cursing, or disgrace by verbal injuries, like κακηγορία; probrum (from προφέρω) an invective, like ὄνειδος, consisting of attacks and assertions wounding the honor of another; convicium (καταικία) the abusive word, like λοιδορία, consisting of single words and appellations wounding the honor of another. For example, fur! is a convicium, fur es, a probrum; each of them a maledictum. (iv. 198.)

Conjugation conjugation 3 irregular

active indicative
formpresentimperfectfutureperfectpluperfectfut. perfect
1st sg.maledīcōmaledīcēbammaledīcammaledīxīmaledīxerammaledīxerō
2nd sg.maledīcismaledīcēbāsmaledīcēsmaledīxistīmaledīxerāsmaledīxeris
3rd sg.maledīcitmaledīcēbatmaledīcetmaledīxitmaledīxeratmaledīxerit
1st pl.maledīcimusmaledīcēbāmusmaledīcēmusmaledīximusmaledīxerāmusmaledīxerimus
2nd pl.maledīcitismaledīcēbātismaledīcētismaledīxistismaledīxerātismaledīxeritis
3rd pl.maledīcuntmaledīcēbantmaledīcentmaledīxērunt
maledīxēre		maledīxerantmaledīxerint
active subjunctive
active subjunctive
formpresentimperfectperfectpluperfect
1st sg.maledīcammaledīceremmaledīxerimmaledīxissem
2nd sg.maledīcāsmaledīcerēsmaledīxerīsmaledīxissēs
3rd sg.maledīcatmaledīceretmaledīxeritmaledīxisset
1st pl.maledīcāmusmaledīcerēmusmaledīxerīmusmaledīxissēmus
2nd pl.maledīcātismaledīcerētismaledīxerītismaledīxissētis
3rd pl.maledīcantmaledīcerentmaledīxerintmaledīxissent
passive indicative
passive indicative
formpresentimperfectfuture
1st sg.maledīcormaledīcēbarmaledīcar
2nd sg.maledīceris
maledīcere		maledīcēbāris
maledīcēbāre		maledīcēris
maledīcēre
3rd sg.maledīciturmaledīcēbāturmaledīcētur
1st pl.maledīcimurmaledīcēbāmurmaledīcēmur
2nd pl.maledīciminīmaledīcēbāminīmaledīcēminī
3rd pl.maledīcunturmaledīcēbanturmaledīcentur
passive subjunctive
passive subjunctive
formpresentimperfect
1st sg.maledīcarmaledīcerer
2nd sg.maledīcāris
maledīcāre		maledīcerēris
maledīcerēre
3rd sg.maledīcāturmaledīcerētur
1st pl.maledīcāmurmaledīcerēmur
2nd pl.maledīcāminīmaledīcerēminī
3rd pl.maledīcanturmaledīcerentur
imperative
imperative
formactivepassive
pres. 2nd sg.maledīc
maledīce		maledīcere
pres. 2nd pl.maledīcitemaledīciminī
fut. 2nd sg.maledīcitōmaledīcitor
fut. 3rd sg.maledīcitōmaledīcitor
fut. 2nd pl.maledīcitōte—
fut. 3rd pl.maledīcuntōmaledīcuntor
infinitives & participles
formactivepassive
present infinitivemaledīceremaledīcī
perfect infinitivemaledīxissemaledictum esse
future infinitivemaledictūrum essemaledictum īrī
present participlemaledīcēns—
perfect participle—maledictus
maledicta, maledictā, maledictae, maledictam, maledictārum, maledictās, maledicte, maledictī, maledictīs, maledictō, maledictōrum, maledictōs
future participlemaledictūrus
maledictūra, maledictūrā, maledictūrae, maledictūram, maledictūrārum, maledictūrās, maledictūre, maledictūrī, maledictūrīs, maledictūrō, maledictūrōrum, maledictūrōs, maledictūrum		maledīcendus
maledīcundus, maledīcenda, maledīcendā, maledīcendae, maledīcendam, maledīcendārum, maledīcendās, maledīcende, maledīcendīs, maledīcendōrum, maledīcendōs
gerundmaledīcendī, maledīcendō, maledīcendumsupinemaledictum, maledictū

Phrases from Meissner's Latin Phrase-Book

maledictis aliquem onerare, lacerare
to heap abuse on some one.

mălĕdīco (or separately, mălĕ dīco;
I. rarely in reverse order: qui bonis dicunt male, Plaut. Bacch. 1, 2, 10; cf. id. Trin. 4, 2, 79), xi. ctum, 3, v. n. and a. [male-dico], to speak ill of, to abuse, revile, slander, asperse; constr. absol., or with a dat. (so class.) or acc. (post-Aug.).
(a). Absol.: aliud est maledicere, aliud accusare, Cic. Cael. 3, 6.—
(b). With dat.: optimo viro maledicere, Cic. Deiot. 10, 28: turpissime alicui, id. N. D. 1, 33, 93: petulanter alicui, id. Cael. 3, 8: utrique, Hor. S. 2, 3, 140: Christo, Plin. Ep. 10, 97, 5; Sen. Contr. 1, 4, 1.—Impers. pass.: indignis si maledicitur, maledictum id esse dico, Plaut. Curc. 4, 2, 27; Ter. Hec. 4, 2, 14. —
(g). With acc.: si me amas, maledic illam, Petr. 96; v. id. 74.—
II. Esp., to curse, utter a curse upon (eccl. Lat.): populo huic, Vulg. Num. 22, 6 al.—Hence,
A. mălĕdī-cens, entis, P. a., evil - speaking, foulmouthed, abusive, scurrilous (syn. maledi cus): maledicentes homines, Plaut. Merc. 2, 3, 75.—Comp.: maledicentior, Plaut. Merc. 1, 2, 31.—Sup.: in maledicentissimā civitate, Cic. Fl. 3, 7: carmina, Suet. Caes. 23; Nep. Alc. 11, 1.—
B. mălĕdictus, a, um, P. a., accursed (post-class. for exsecrabilis): maledicte parricida, Spart. Get. 3, 3: maledictus es inter omnia animantia, Vulg. Gen. 3, 14: omnes incesti, Mos. et Rom. Leg. Coll. 6, 7 praef.—Hence, as subst.: mălĕ-dictum, i, n., a foul or abusive word.
I. In gen. (class.): maledicta in aliquem dicere, Cic. Q. Fr. 2, 3, 2: in vitam alicujus conicere, id. Planc. 12, 31: maledictis figere aliquem, id. N. D. 1, 34, 93: maledicta in aliquem conferre, id. Att. 11, 8, 2: quod crimen (i. e. majestatis) non solum facto, sed et verbis impiis ac maledictis maxime exacerbatur, Paul. Sent. 5, 29, 1.—
II. In partic., a curse, imprecation: esse in maledictis jam antiquis strigem, convenit, Plin. 11, 39, 95, § 232: scribere maledicta, Vulg. Num. 5, 23.—
B. Transf., a cursed thing: Christus factus pro nobis maledictum, Vulg. Gal. 3, 13: maledictum non erit amplius, id. Apoc. 22, 3.

Origins

  1. Proto-Indo-European*(s)mel-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*(s)molos?
  3. Proto-Italic*malos
  4. Archaic Latinmalos
  5. Latinmaledīcō

Latin male Proto-Indo-European *deyḱ- Proto-Indo-European *-eti Proto-Indo-European *déyḱeti Proto-Italic *deikō Latin dīcō Latin maledīcō From male (“wickedly, badly”) + dīcō (“say, speak”).

Descendants
  • Catalanmaleir
  • Englishmaledict
  • Frenchmaudirefrom Old French maldire
  • Frenchmaléirfrom Old French maldire
  • Germanmaledizieren
  • Italianmaledire
  • Occitanmalasirfrom Old Occitan maladiser
  • Occitanmaladíserfrom Old Occitan maladiser
  • Occitanmaladirfrom Old Occitan maladiser
  • Portuguesemaldizer

Quick answers

What does maledīcō mean in Latin?
maledīcō, a verb, means “to slander, speak ill of; to curse”.
What are the principal parts of maledīcō?
maledīcō, maledīcere, maledīxī, maledictum (third conjugation, irregular short imperative).
How do you pronounce maledīcō?
In classical Latin, [ma.ɫɛˈdiː.koː]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ma.leˈdiː.ko].
Where does maledīcō come from?
Proto-Indo-European *(s)mel- → Proto-Indo-European *(s)molos? → Proto-Italic *malos → Archaic Latin malos → Latin maledīcō.